How many of you perked up when I mentioned how commenting affects SEO?
Suddenly writing comments has become interesting. It seems that social engagement has taken on a whole new dimension, something that is relevant to you and your ideals.
Of course it is! It's not just a method of writing 'Nice post' and then feeling good about responding. There's much more than meets the eye with this commenting lark.
This infographic explores eight ways to use commenting to attract search engines to your blog:
And here's some code you could paste into your own posts (via the text mode) if you want to share this Infographic with your readers.
Enhances content
Most bloggers are busy writing suitably optimised content to attract the search engines. However, did you know spiders see comments as part of the post? To them there is no difference between the content and comments.
Commenting affects SEO when comments contain valuable material which enhances the original post. A good comment should be at least 100 words, and be substantial enough not only to get noticed by readers, but also the search engines.
Both quality and relevance play a part here. The commenter piggybacks on the host blog's ranking, and the blogger benefits from the extra information shared by the commenter.
Extends keyword usage
If the commenter is canny, he will have worked out the principle keyword of the post, and used it within his comment. This is to stimulate the spiders looking to match search requests with this keyword.
Spiders also look for relevancy from latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords, which are words related to the post’s subject. It is easier to use a topic match rather than an exact keyword match. Good, worthy comments with lots of LSI keywords are perfect for indexing.
This is why it's important to focus on writing a relevant comment. Pertinent relevance in commenting affects SEO much more than you think.
Creates backlinks
The use of links within a comment should be avoided. They are useless for SEO because WordPress automatically makes them no-follow, so the spiders can't use them. And this sort of activity also tends to mark you out as a spammer.
However, there are still ways to create acceptable backlinks to your blog. Whenever you submit your comment, the URL you supply generates a backlink. This may be no-follow, but spiders still rank it for relevance and they can be used for readers to click on too.
Producing a relevant comment that is related to your blog's topic means readers are more likely to be interested in you. Giving them a call to action to find out more by clicking on your name could direct them to a relevant post on your blog.
Increases rankings
Because of the nuisance of spam, link building via commenting has been hindered somewhat. But relevance of links behind the keywords used in the comment can give a necessary boost to your blog's rankings.
Regularly commenting on relevant blogs in your industry, with worthy and constructive comments, does attract the attention of the search engines. The spiders note the keyword relevance, the destination relevance of the backlink, and connects these together to raise the comment's SEO standing.
Studies have shown that consistent relevant commenting on corresponding industry blogs does have an affect on the commenter's blog's Domain Authority. Even in as little as two weeks there is a marked improvement in the DA score.
Improves traffic
Quality comments will attract attention, hopefully for the right reasons. Comments affect SEO by constructively adding value to a post, which is noticed by both the blogger and the other readers.
Once you have established yourself as a bona fide commenter who knows their stuff, your credibility and expertise will entice others to find out more about you. When they clink on the backlink behind your name, they will be able to visit your blog to read more.
Also well-written comments should encourage interaction. High quality UGC (user generated content) which stimulate conversations encourages readers to stay longer on your blog. This in turn reduces the bounce rate in your analytics.
Builds relationships
Using a conversational style is another way to attract readers to your comments. Commenting could be seen as a method for social engagement, communicating with others to encourage them to reply.
This kind of commenting needn't be restricted to blogs. In fact it may be easier to do this on social media. Here there are no restrictions from moderation, and conversations can happen in real-time.
These leads onto friendships within the commenting world. Which results in worthier and meaningful comments. These are more exciting to read, and are more likely to encourage others to participate in the conversation.
Increases popularity
A blog with a lot of comments is instantly seen as popular. This is attractive not only to readers, who prefer to join in an active commenting scene, but also to the search engines.
Commenting affects SEO when it generates popularity. Spiders view a lot of interaction as the result of excellent content which is worth indexing. They deduce if readers are willing to comment here, this content must contain information others may be searching for.
Write comments that encourage discussion. Introduce topics people can relate to, and are willing to share their experiences. Some readers may even share the post to friends and followers so they can also join in the conversation.
Better brand recognition
Commenting can raise the reputation of you and what you write about, and ultimately your blog. Once readers recognise your blog as a go-to-resource, they will be referring to it regularly for the content they crave.
If they cannot remember your blog's URL, they will type in your blog's name into the search engines. This results in repeated requests which marks the blog as an excellent source of information.
You'll know consistent posting on your blog and regular commenting affects SEO when you realise it's not only your readers who recognise your expertise and knowledge.
Have you found commenting affects SEO?
How much commenting do you do? Is it on relevant blogs in your industry? Do you continue conversations and encourage discussions?
Are you freely offering your knowledge and expertise in your comments? Are you able to relate to the post so you can share an experience you've had? Is there an element of the post you can acknowledge to show your appreciation?
Consistent commenting affects SEO as much as regular posting on your blog. Just remember you're writing for your readers, not the search engines, and the results will be much more readable. Which in turn will have a better and more desirable effect.
What experiences have you had with commenting? Let us know in the comments below; we would love to read what you have to say.
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Hi Alice,
How are you? Loved this post and there is not much I disagree with here. As a web developer with over a decade’s experience in creating bespoke sites for clients I am quite new to the blogging scene having only just setup my first blog a few months back.
I remember the saying “Build it and they will come”. How untrue that is. Since march I have earned about 6 comments on the 6 posts I have so far published. I think that writing the post is the easiest thing, it’s the hard work that comes after like commenting, sharing on Social Media and forging relationships.
I don’t offer SEO to my clients as a service, but all of my creations are optimised for SEO. I would also expand on this post that I think my industry has become same old, same old. For me I prefer to stand out from the crowd by creating something unique and built from the ground up, instead of charging my clients a small fortune for me to download DIVI Theme and pass it off as a unique creation.
Speed as well will help with a sites Search Engine Optimisation efforts and I try and make my sites load in under a second which is why I am in love with StackPath and the services they offer. I actually wrote a post about them recently and the company shared it on LinkedIn, but alas did not leave me a comment.
Hope I have added some food for thought Alice.
Keep up the good work.
Phillip Dews
Hi Phillip, thanks so much for such a wonderful comment! It’s so nice to get a lengthy one.
It’s tough being a web developer nowadays. But you have gone down the right route by creating a blog. Here you can communicate with your potential clients, explore the different methods you use, promote the systems you put in place, and generally explain what you actually do to the world.
Keep going, and the better you get a blogging, the comments will soon start to come in. Try some commenting elsewhere to get yourself known in the right industry blogs. If you create a good enough impression with your knowledge, who knows what might result from this!
Hi Alice,
Yea it is quite tough especially with new technology changing all the time and the advancements in PHP, JavaScript and HTML.
I find it highly rewarding though especially when I see my client’s reactions when I reveal the website I have created for them.
Seems to me that I am quite a rare breed as in the ten years I have yet to find another freelancer that creates sites from the ground up and not use some downloadable theme like divi or the many others from envato.
I have kept my blog separate from my main site, as that’s a truly custom built one and not on WordPress at all. Will keep commenting and gaining as tribe of followers.
Phillip
Hi Phillip, the proof is in the pudding is you are able to create a site that is as slick as the ‘ready made’ options. I use Thrive Themes as they are accompanied by a myriad of plugins and other applications which make a true digital marketing experience for my clients.
But if you are able to do this purely by coding, you are a definitely a rare breed.
Hi Alice – I came across your post looking for a good tool to help you leverage comments more. It used to be really great for my marketing efforts. My old tools are long gone. Any you recommend for finding good sites to engage with?
I also see you were using Thrive Themes at the time of this post. I may give them a try as the Suite looks pretty impressive. Might be time to switch from Divi.
Thanks!
Hi John, you could check out my post https://www.thecommentingclub.co.uk/how-to-find-blogs/ to find blogs to comment on.
And yes, ThriveThemes is very good for creating websites. Check out the link in the sidebar.
This topic is fascinating to me. I struggle with what to do when someone doesn’t include a place for the backlink, and have added it to my comment, but now I’m seeing that this doesn’t amount to a hill of beans (unless of course someone follows the link manually). I have so much to learn about commenting…
Hi Kim, thanks for commenting. Yes, adding links into comments is a bone of contention. Some platforms allow it, and others, like Disqus, immediately send the comment to moderation. As I said in my post, the best place for a backlink is the URL you provide when you submit your comment.
This Topic is Amazing.
Thanks for sharing this great info.
Thank you Rahul for your comment. Which information from my post inspired you the most?
I am grateful to the owner of this site which really shares this wonderful work of this site. Thank you So much for sharing with us…
Hi Pradyut, thanks for commenting. What aspect of commenting for SEO inspired you the most?
Hey
Commenting affects SEO when comments contain valuable material which enhances the original post.
I also doing commenting work which is easy and also confusion.
Thank you
Sweety
Thank you Sweety for commenting. You are right, it is necessary to include relevant information in your comment which matches the original post.
Keep going, and the better you get at blogging, the comments will soon start to come in. Try some commenting elsewhere to get yourself known in the right industry blogs. If you create a good enough impression with your knowledge, who knows what might result from this!
Thank you Umair, I quite agree!
this is verty usefull
Thank you for commenting – which bits of information did you find useful?
Interesting topic! Where can you actually check how many links have been created with blog commenting?
Thank you for your comment, Mariama. If you are canny, you would have submitted your comment with a URL going to a method of collating or revealing engagement, such as your analytics showing how many visits from the page you commented onto your chosen page, or people actually taking the desired action like buying a product or signing up to your newsletter.
Great post! Here are some actionable tips for improving your commenting and its impact on SEO:
Use keywords in your comment. This will help your comment appear in relevant search results.
Make sure your comment adds value to the conversation. Not only will this increase the chances of it being approved by the moderator, but it will also show readers that you have something valuable to contribute.
Use a clear and concise headline for your comment. This will make it more likely to be read and shared.
Link to your own content where relevant. This will help drive traffic to your own site and improve your SEO.
Respond to other comments on the post. This shows that you are actively engaged in the conversation and will help build relationships with other commenters.
By following these tips, you can improve your commenting skills and take advantage of the potential SEO benefits that come with it.
Wow, thank you Steve for your additional points! I didn’t know you could use headlines in comments – I will have to investigate. Also the point of linking to your own content, this may cause problems with moderators, but using a relevant URL when you submit your comment, and including a call to action for other readers to click on your name, provides a safer way of generating traffic back to your chosen content.